Sonny Kenn shares the secret of being a great (and very cool) guitarist for 60 years

Sonny Kenn plays guitar like ringing a bell — and he's still ringing that bell.

The Jersey Shore guitar legend lives in Florida these days, but he comes through the area a few times a year. This weekend he has shows Saturday, July 6, at Barnacle Bill's in Rumson, and Sunday, July 7, at the Chubby Pickle in Highlands.

Kenn made his name starting with Sonny and Starfires in 1965. He credits his diet with partly enabling him to keep on rocking, and looking cool while doing it, at the age of 75.

“I've been a vegetarian since I was 21,” Kenn said. “We didn't want to eat meat for ethical reasons, and about nine, 10 years ago I turned vegan, finally. I got rid of the dairy and the cheese and the eggs, and so I've been doing that and trying to stay fairly healthy. I don't know if that's part of it — maybe it's good genes but I try to keep healthy.”

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Kenn set the standard for Jersey Shore rock guitar playing with his twangy tones and raucous reverb. He's a classic, and he's had a few famous folks in his bands over the years, including E Street Band member Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez on drums, and Southside Johnny on bass. Chris Plunkett (bass), George Evans (guitar) and Vic Bayers (drums) will be playing with Kenn this weekend.

Bruce Springsteen was a teenage fan of Kenn, and he called the guitar man, who is also an accomplished painter, an Asbury Park legend.

“The first Hullabaloo Club we went to was in Asbury Park,” wrote Springsteen of Kenn in his “Born to Run” memoir. “I walked in one night with my pal Mike Paterson, and onstage were Sonny and Starfires, featuring at the drums a pre-”Mad Dog” Vincent Lopez. All Chuck Berry and rockabilly blues, Sonny, a good looking guy with greased blond hair and black Ray-Ban sunglasses, really knew what he was doing. (He still plays in the area today, as cool as ever.)”

Go : Sonny Kenn Band, 8:30 Saturday, July 6, Barnacle Bill’s, 1 First St., Rumson, free; barnaclebillsrumson.com. Also 5:30 p.m. Sunday, July 7, Chubby Pickle, 23 Bay Ave., Highlands, free; thechubbypicklenj.com.

Moe. plays the Stone Pony

Oh Moe. can you see?

Why, yes you can on Thursday at the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park. The Jersey-fave jam band from Buffalo is coming through on its Best.Summer.Ever.Tour., which marks the band's 30th anniversary a few years late — and the return of guitarist Chuck Garvey on the road after a major stroke.

Garvey and his wife Amy thank the Moe. fans, aka the “Famoe.ly,” for their help in the recovery.

Inside the Pony on Thursday, Desert Jellies play at 4 p.m., and Kevin Hill and Friends take the stage at 10 p.m.

Go : Moe. with Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country and Neighbor, 4 p.m. Thursday, July 4, Stone Pony Summer Stage, 913 Ocean Ave., Asbury Park, $40.50; stoneponyonline.com.

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Southside Johnny at the Stone Pony

Missed Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes in Seaside Heights and Augusta last weekend? They're coming back to their home state with a Saturday, Aug. 31, show at the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Labor Day weekend.

The show will celebrate the 1976 Memorial Day broadcast of the Jukes’ record-release show for the “I Don't Want to Go Home” album, which was simulcast on WMMR-FM in Philadelphia, WJLK-AM in Asbury Park, and other stations. The show put the Sound of Asbury Park on the musical map.

LaBamba and the Hubcaps are also on the bill, and it's part of the Pony's 50th anniversary celebration.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 3.

Visit stoneponyonline.com for more info.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Sonny Kenn shares the secret of being a great (and very cool) guitarist for 60 years